Clingman, T. L. (Thomas Lanier), 1812-1897

T. L. (Thomas Lanier) Clingman (1812-1897) was a businessman; mountain explorer; legislator for North Carolina and the United States; and Confederate colonel and brigadier general, serving in the eastern North Carolina and South Carolina defenses and in Virginia. Clingman was born in Huntsville, Surry (now Yadkin) County, N.C. He was educated at the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1832 after which he read law. In 1835 he was elected from Surry County to the lower house of the North Carolina legislature. In 1840 he was elected to state senate and in 1843 he was elected to the United State House of Representatives. Clingman served terms in both the United State House and Senate before the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1861 Clingman was comissioned as colonel of the 25th North Carolina Regiment and in 1862 was made brigadier general. He served primarily in eastern North Carolina and Virginia and took part in the Battle of Cold Harbor in Virginia near the end of the war. After the war, Clingman became active in promoting development in the western North Carolina mountain regions and was an avid explorer of the area.

From the guide to the T. L. Clingman Papers, ., 1862-1865, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

T. L. Clingman was a U.S. senator, businessman, mountain explorer, and Confederate officer.